For Immediate Release:
September 22, 2023

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of JUHAAN HAMMOND (DOB: 9/16/1993; single; unemployed) of 57 Jewell Street, Second Floor, Garfield, NJ on strict liability and drug distribution-related charges. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love and the Garfield Police Department under the direction of Chief Richard Uram.

On Sunday, September 17, 2023, at approximately 6:41 p.m., the Garfield Police Department received a 911 call reporting the drug overdose of two victims. Responding officers located the two victims in the area of 249 Lincoln Place in Garfield, and life-saving measures were immediately initiated, including the administration of Naloxone. The victims were subsequently transported to an area hospital for treatment, where one of the transported victims, identified as 30-year-old Ivan Santiago of Garfield, NJ, was pronounced deceased.

Detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotic Task Force and the Garfield Police Department initiated an investigation into the death of Santiago and the related drug activity. The investigation revealed that JUHAAN HAMMOND distributed a fatal dose of narcotics to the victim, causing his death.

As a result of the investigation, on Thursday, September 21, 2023, JUHAAN HAMMOND was arrested in Garfield, NJ, and charged with first-degree strict liability in a drug-induced death, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-9; third-degree distribution of counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5b(5); third-degree distribution of a controlled dangerous substance within 1,000 feet of a school zone, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-7; third-degree possession of amphetamine, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5b(5); and fourth-degree distribution of counterfeit oxycodone, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-11a(1). HAMMOND was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, NJ.

Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and he would like to thank the Garfield Police Department for its assistance in this investigation.